Halitosis

Halitosis

Morning breath, dragon breath, or its Latin name, halitosis. This is the acrid, repulsive smell that many people have, especially in the morning and after eating food. What can we do to prevent it? In order to answer that question, we need to find out the causes of Halitosis, and deal with them properly.

The causes of halitosis

What causes unpleasant breath? It can be a number of things, and can be a combination of things, but each reason or cause has its own special kind of bad smell. Here is a by no means extensive list of some of the causes of this embarrassing problem:

Improper oral hygiene

You don’t have to be lazy to have food particles stuck in your teeth. Most of the time, people who brush regularly and are otherwise neat and precise about their oral hygiene regiment still can have this problem. It’s because at home oral hygiene is not enough, you cannot reach all of the places where food can get stuck and start to decay. It is from these places that bad breath starts.

Acid reflux disease

Some people have a stomach that just does not shut properly, and this can lead to an unpleasant, acidic oral environment, which then contributes to unpleasant smells emanating from the mouth. These smells are quite different from other forms of halitosis, as they smell really like guts and their by-products. If you have this problem you must seek out the help of a gastroenterologist.

Smoking and alcohol

Smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and engaging in other forms of behaviour that dry out the mouth can and will cause bad breath in the morning. The saliva that acts as a lubricant and an antibacterial shield against the invading microbes in the mouth cannot protect their environment as the tissues are dried out, and thus, bacterial life flourishes, creating smelly plaque and altogether unpleasantness in the mouth. To deal with this problem, stop smoking.

Periodontitis

An inflammation of the gums can remain largely hidden, aside from certain tell-tale clues; a bit of redness or swelling, an exposed tooth or two, a bit of pink in the sink during your morning brush, or a bad smell coming from the mouth in the morning. This latter is a clue of thriving bacterial colonies, which must be evacuated. A trip to the dentist should get all of that cleared up.

Diabetes, other systemic diseases

Certain metabolic or otherwise systemic diseases of the human body can create an acrid, bad smell in the mouth, even if the teeth and gums are completely healthy.

Whatever the cause of morning breath, it is not to be ignored, as it is a sign that something is decaying or is otherwise not doing too well. Certainly go and get your mouth checked out by a dentist, as finding the cause is the first step towards finding a solution.